Early Middle Palaeolithic culture in India around 385–172 ka reframes Out of Africa models

Abstract

Luminescence dating at the stratified prehistoric site of Attirampakkam, India, has shown that processes signifying the end of the Acheulian culture and the emergence of a Middle Palaeolithic culture occurred at 385 ± 64 thousand years ago (ka), much earlier than conventionally presumed for South Asia. The Middle Palaeolithic continued at Attirampakkam until 172 ± 41 ka. Chronologies of Middle Palaeolithic technologies in regions distant from Africa and Europe are crucial for testing theories about the origins and early evolution of these cultures, and for understanding their association with modern humans or archaic hominins, their links with preceding Acheulian cultures and the spread of Levallois lithic technologies. The geographic location of India and its rich Middle Palaeolithic record are ideally suited to addressing these issues, but progress has been limited by the paucity of excavated sites and hominin fossils as well as by geochronological constraints. At Attirampakkam, the gradual disuse of bifaces, the predominance of small tools, the appearance of distinctive and diverse Levallois flake and point strategies, and the blade component all highlight a notable shift away from the preceding Acheulian large-flake technologies. These findings document a process of substantial behavioural change that occurred in India at 385 ± 64 ka and establish its contemporaneity with similar processes recorded in Africa and Europe. This suggests complex interactions between local developments and ongoing global transformations. Together, these observations call for a re-evaluation of models that restrict the origins of Indian Middle Palaeolithic culture to the incidence of modern human dispersals after approximately 125 ka.

Examining the Origins of Hafting in South Asia

“…Sankalia 1964;Blinkhorn et al 2015). The Attirampakam assemblages (N5, N4, N3) are unique amongst Middle Pleistocene assemblages from South Asia with the reported presence of retouched points (Akhilesh et al 2018). Retouched points are reported from multiple Middle Palaeolithic assemblages, including Chamu, Jwalapuram 22 (Fig.…”

“…The earliest Middle Palaeolithic (or Middle Stone Age) assemblage in the world has been reported from Attirampakam, South-East India, dating to~385 ka (Akhilesh et al 2018), although significant chronological breaks occur in the sequence and before these industries are found anywhere else in South Asia. Middle Palaeolithic industries appear repeatedly in the second half of MIS 5, from 96 ka (Blinkhorn et al 2013, marking a 30-ka gap from the youngest well-dated Late Acheulean industries (see .…”

“…Tanged or shouldered pieces were recognised by Sankalia (1964) in the first definition of Middle Palaeolithic (Middle Stone Age) industries, but it is only recently that they have been recovered from reliably dated Middle Palaeolithic contexts. Two tanged pieces are reported from Attirampakam, dating to~385 ka and~175 ka (Akhilesh et al 2018; Fig. 3b), but are not present in any contemporaneous Late Acheulean assemblages.…”

Hand morphometrics, electrodermal activity, and stone tools haptic perception

“…The ability to impose bilateral symmetry underlies an increase in hierarchical complexity and higher cognitive abilities (Stout, ; Toth & Schick, ). Following technological types (like Middle Paleolithic tools, described in the archeological record after 385 ka; Scott & Ashton, ; Akhilesh et al, ) are generally made from retouched flakes or through prepared core technology (Levallois tools), and are particularly related with late Homo heidelibergensis , early Neanderthal, and archaic forms of H. sapiens (Toth & Schick, ). In this study, tool sample included 20 experimental lithic tools, belonging to different Lower Paleolithic morphotypes (choppers, handaxes, and flakes; see Table for length, width, thickness, and weight descriptive statistics).…”

Territorializing/decolonizing South American prehistory: Pedra Furada and the Cerutti Mastodon

“…Human remains found outside Africa go back at least to 175 kya in Israel (Hershkovitz et al 2018) and to 120 kya in China (Liu et al 2015). Stone tools found in India have been dated at 300 kya (Akhilesh et al 2018). The discoveries are seemingly never ending, so it's hard to get a clear picture of a new understanding of how humans got to be everywhere.…”